Sports

Together, they combined to win 12 varsity letters.

They captured two Big Eight Conference championships, and finished third and sixth the past two seasons at the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

Over the last three years, Middleton girls golfers Sheenagh Cleary, Kelly Wassarman, Hunter Schultz and Meggie Acker were instrumental in the Cardinals’ success. In fact, last season all four received some form of all-conference honors.

That sensational quartet has graduated, though, leaving Middleton with many questions.

It’s rare, though, when the Cardinals don’t have answers. Typically, they don’t rebuild. They reload.

And Middleton second-year coach Becky Halverson hopes that will be the case when the Cardinals open their season Friday at the Madison Edgewood Invite, which will be held at Yahara Hills.

Cross Plains — The look said it all.

Max Boehnen, a standout safety on Middleton’s football team, was informed his team was picked to finish fourth in the Big Eight Conference by wissports.net.

What followed was a facial expression that displayed disbelief, astonishment and a little bit of anger.

“Are you kidding me? No way,” Boehnen said. “I would easily pick us for No. 1.

“With what we have coming back, and the speed we’re picking things up mentally and physically, I really think we’re our own opponent. This will be a year that everybody’s going to remember.”

That seemed to be the feeling throughout the program as Middleton opened practice this week.

The Cardinals bring back eight players on defense that were either full-time or part-time starters. The defensive line could be one of Middleton’s best in years, as all four projected starters were vital cogs a year ago.

It’s almost reaching the point of absurdity.

And you wonder, how can things get any better?

During the 2013-’14 school year, Middleton captured a Big Eight Conference championship (either regular, postseason, or both) in 14 of the 22 sports it competes in. That’s a remarkable 63.6%.

Middleton was represented at state in 14 of its 22 sports. And the Cardinals brought home top-five finishes at state in seven different sports.

Picking the best of those achievements is tougher than avoiding construction in July. But here’s one person’s opinion on Middleton’s ‘Best of the Best’ last school year.

Girls team of the year: Tennis

Bridget Bellissimo spent her junior season playing tennis on the USTA circuit. Bellissimo had a blast, but also believed 2013 could be a special season at Middleton High School.

It was another banner year for Middleton’s baseball program, capped with a trip to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament.

And the Cardinals reaped the rewards, landing seven players on the all-Big Eight Conference team.
Senior pitcher Kasey Miller, senior catcher Jackson Keeler and senior first baseman Alex Elliott all received first-team all-league honors. Senior second baseman Zach Kasdorf was a second-team all-league selection, while senior pitcher Garrett Knudtson, senior outfielder Jordan Lueck and junior outfielder Tyler Holley were all named honorable-mention all-conference.

State champion Sun Prairie had the most all-conference players with 11, while Middleton and Janesville Parker were second with seven.

Miller had a tremendous season, going 9-1 with a 2.76 ERA. Miler allowed just 48 hits in 58 1/3 innings, struck out 51 and walked 37 batters.

It was a perfect 10 for Middleton’s girls soccer team.

The Cardinals, winners of the Big Eight Conference, had 10 players earn all-league honors. That was more than any other team in the conference.

Cardinals senior forward Ellen Jesse, senior midfielder Leia Peterman, sophomore defender Grace Douglas and senior keeper Liz McMahon were all named first-team all-conference.

Senior midfielder Caroline Keenan and senior defender Lia Passini were named second-team all-league. And senior forward Brenna Shea, junior midfielder Megan Sullivan, senior midfielder Samantha Andryk and junior defender Ashley Stahnke were all named honorable-mention all-conference.

In addition, McMahon was named first-team all-state by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association. Both Jesse and Peterman were named “Best of the Rest” on the WSCA’s all-state team.

Brandon Scheidler couldn’t wait to get to the plate to hit on Sunday.

Neither could the rest of the Middleton center fielder’s teammates.

Scheidler ripped a pair of three-run home runs to power a 24-hit attack as Middleton thumped Ashton, 22-7, in a Home Talent League Northern Section Eastern Division amateur baseball game at Sorenson-Bakken Field.

Middleton (10-1) extended its winning streak to nine games and took a one-game lead in the loss column over second-place Ashton (8-2).

“I was seeing the ball well and hitting it. I tried not to do too much and luckily two of them went over the fence,” said Scheidler, who also singled twice and scored three runs. “Our offense really feeds off each other from one through nine. When you get everybody hitting, it becomes contagious.”

Every starter for Middleton had at least one hit by the third inning. Eight of the nine starters finished with at least two hits apiece.

They were one of the deepest teams in the state.

A sensational quintet from top to bottom. One of Middleton’s most impressive ‘Fab Fives’ in quite some time.

So it came as no surprise that each and every Cardinal was named to the all-Big Eight Conference team.

Middleton sophomores Brady Thomas and Emmet Herb, along with senior Josh Haunty were all named first-team all-conference. Senior Charlie Stankiewicz and sophomore Joey Levin were both named second-team all-conference.

The all-conference team was determined by scores from conference matches only, not all events.

“They were so close to each other, they relied on each one to pick each other up, it was just an extremely fun group to be around,” Middleton coach Tom Cabalka said. “The season seemed to fly by, every practice was meaningful to them and they all worked extremely hard at improving their game.  

When Middleton’s girls softball team first gathered back in March, Cardinals manager Cherie Hellenbrand had doubts.

“I was wondering if we could be a 500 team,” Hellenbrand said.

But as the year unfolded, Hellenbrand’s optimism grew by the day.

“What stood out, especially during spring break, was their work ethic and team unity,” Hellenbrand said. “We had long practices and we worked very hard. Every day their confidence grew and so did their skills and desire to win.”

And it certainly paid off.

Middleton had a memorable season, finishing third in the ultra-competitive Big Eight Conference, winning a regional title and posting a 17-8 overall record. The Cardinals were also rewarded for their success, landing nine players on the all-Big Eight Conference team.

GRAND CHUTE — The final score was staring back at Kasey Miller, courtesy of the giant scoreboard in centerfield.

And even though that result had been a painful reality for nearly 30 minutes now, Miller was still having a hard time swallowing it.

Wilmot 2, Middleton 1.

“We definitely felt like we could win it all this year,” Miller said. “We had the team to do it. We’re leaving with our heads held high, but we certainly feel like we could have had more.”

It’s easy to see why.

In a WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal baseball game held at Fox Cities Stadium Tuesday, Middleton had a bevy of chances to turn defeat into victory. But the Cardinals couldn’t get the key hit against a Wilmot team that played sublime defense.

Middleton, which made its seventh state appearance since 2002, finished the season 21-9. Wilmot improved to 24-3.

GRAND CHUTE — They played baseball together since they were children.

They grew up together, excelled together, and eventually reached a state tournament together.

So now that it was officially over, it was easy to see why Middleton’s 11-person senior class didn’t want to say goodbye.

The Cardinals fell in the WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinals to Wilmot, 2-1, Tuesday afternoon. And afterwards, this deep and gifted senior class had a hard time exiting Fox Cities Stadium.

“We were on youth teams together or always playing against each other,” Middleton second baseman Luke Schafer said. “I’ve played with a ton of these guys for a really long time, and we were a great group.

“We got stronger and stronger and stronger as the year went on. And the worst part is I won’t get to play with these guys any more.”

Senior first baseman Alex Elliott agreed.